Unholy oil

•Ribadu report on the industry must be left inviolate and the guilty brought to book

Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke now epitomises everything that impedes transparency in the oil and gas sector of the nation. To her, nothing goes wrong in that rotten sector. Any attempt to make her see the contrary stands scuffed. She has demonstrated this times without number before the National Assembly.

We are afraid she might want to doctor the contents of the Nuhu Ribadu-led 21-member Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force set-up last February by President Goodluck Jonathan. The committee, an upshot of the mass protests against removal of fuel subsidy in the country last January was mandated, among others: To verify all petroleum upstream and downstream revenues (taxes and royalties) due and payable to the Federal Government: And to take necessary steps to collect all debts due and owed, and: To obtain agreements and enforce payment terms by oil industry operators.

The committee came up with its findings in its 141-page report. Its submissions in the report handed over to Mrs Alison-Madueke are scandalous. The report clearly corroborates previous indictment of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the petroleum ministry for their lack of accountability and transparency in managing the country’s oil affairs.

Through the committee’s report, about N86.65 billion earned in 10 years by the NNPC is allegedly missing: It wants billions of dollars of unpaid debts from signature bonuses and royalties to be accounted for. The committee shared the public position that the NNPC needs urgent surgical operation or be scrapped outright.

We know that President Jonathan will officially receive the report Friday, other things being equal, but we admonish Mrs. Alison-Madueke not to change the content of the report earlier submitted to her by the committee. It is disgusting to note that the petroleum minister attempted to clothe the copy presented to her in fake robe by musing: “It is a draft…There will be some areas where the government may have a slightly different opinion … (and) will put its point of view to the committee.” This is despite Reuters, a foreign news agency’s confirmation that the report was labelled “Final Report.’’

The President’s copy must be the ‘Final Report’ and not the opinions of Mrs Alison-Madueke and friends that have been sulking over the indictment that the subsidy-cum-oil industry in the country has become, especially under her leadership. Nigerians want real facts on the state of fraud in the oil sector, not unconvincing opinions of government officials that have always been part of the problems militating against its growth.

The government must streamline forthwith the curious bumper profits made through sharp practices by multinational oil majors identified in the report. Something also has to be done about the indiscriminate issuance of oil licences by successive oil ministers in the nation without due recourse to due process.

It would be unpardonable if we do not ask why international oil traders buy crude without any formal contracts just as NNPC continues to short-change Nigeria of billions of dollars by selling crude oil and gas to itself below the market rates. Multinational oil companies such as Addax, now a unit of China government’s-owned Sinopec, and Shell identified in the report to be owing Nigeria $1.5 billion and N137.57bn ($874m), respectively, in unpaid royalties must, among others, be forced to pay the debts. Furthermore, some people, no matter how highly placed, must also be fished out and held accountable for the hundreds of millions of dollars in signature bonuses that are allegedly missing.

We call on the government to promptly issue a White Paper on this report so that all those involved in fleecing the country of billions of dollars of oil money, whether as individuals or corporate bodies, do not escape justice. The sanctity of this report must be protected.

RELATED LINKS

When a pig is taken out of the pit and gets a proper bath, what happens when its allowed to play? That’s the situation with successive Nigerian govenment. Thay are all the same!!!

NNAMDI UGOCHUKWU

let’s wait and see what outcome of this report would be

aremu

Let this woman resign so that we can clearly see the truth of the matter.

Joseph .U . Enujekor

Ribadu thank you for work well done, but i would be expecting this government to give you another assignment to probe the formal oil minister Alh. Rilwanu Lukman whom has been in government for decades locating oil wells to his fellow northern without due process, In fact he was the man that messes up the place, very corrupt government during his time, its ashamed!